Cold War Files: All Units: Activities:

Dicussion Questions
Use the text of the unit and the documents available to find answers to the following questions. [more]

Discussion Questions
Use the text of the unit and the documents available to find answers to the following questions. [more]

Additional Questions for Discussion
Use the text of the unit and the documents available to find answers to the following questions. [more]

Building the Berlin Wall
What do the documents reveal about the relationship between the Soviets and the East Germans? How friendly are they? Are the Soviets always calling the shots? [more]

The US and Berlin
What do the documents reveal about the relationship between the Americans and the West Germans? How much do they trust each other? Do they have different ideas on how to respond to Soviet pressure? [more]

Berlin's importantce to the US
Why is Berlin important to the US in 1948? How important is it in 1961? Did Berlin lose its importance by 1971? Why or why not? [more]

Berlin and Germany in Soviet Policy
Why is Berlin important for the Soviets? What about East Germany? [more]

Soviet-East German Relations through American eyes
What is the American view of the relationship between the Soviets and the East Germans? Is the American government correct in its assumptions? [more]

Khrushchev and Berlin
What do Americans think Khruschev wants to accomplish by putting pressure on Berlin? Are those assumptions justified? [more]

Berlin and Nuclear War
Why do some American policy-makers think the US needs to risk nuclear war to defend West Berlin? How does fear of nuclear war effect thinking on Berlin? [more]

Berlin and the Vienna Summit
How much do Kennedy and Khrushchev understand each other when they meet in Vienna in June 1961? How do you think the Vienna Summit affected khrushchev's decision on Berlin? [more]

And the Wall came tumbling down...
When did the wall come down? How did it come down? Who was responsible? [more]

Soviet reactions to the fall of the Wall
What was the Soviet reaction to the fall of the Wall? Was Gorbachev willing to intervene in East Germany to shore up the regime? Why? [more]

Concept Attainment – The American Policy of Containment
Students will recognize the various aspects of both strongpoint and universal containment and will become familiar with the policymakers who devised these strategies for dealing with the threat of expanded Soviet influence initially in Europe and later worldwide. [more]

Multiple Perspectives (The Berlin Crisis of 1961-62)
Students will explore the dispute between the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc ally, the German Democratic Republic, (GDR or East Germany, including East Berlin) and the western powers, principally the United States, Britain, and France, their West German ally, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and West Berlin. They will also research relevant history, using both primary and secondary sources, to examine the differing perspectives on the causes and outcomes of the 1961-1962 Berlin Crisis, including the “alliance security dilemma.” [more]

Policy Analysis Simulation (Document-Based Demonstration of the “Security Dilemma”)
Class Activity focusing on the "Security Dilemna" as presented through primary source documents. [more]

Soviet and Western Options in Germany
In this lesson, students will simulate the process of determining the best course of action for both the Kremlin and the Western Powers in the event of a breakdown of East-West negotiations on Germany. Students will play the roles of senior foreign policy officials in the Kremlin (first scenario) and in the West (second scenario) in the fall of 1948. They will discuss and evaluate various options and each group will develop a contingency plan for dealing with a brakedown in the Four-Power negotiations on Germany. [more]

The Division of Germany (1945) and the Berlin Blockade/Airlift (1948-1949)
Student exploration of the division of Berlin, using maps and primary source documents. Students will also examine the obstacles to reunification, as well as the policies of containment and the overall effect of division upon the Cold War. [more]

Document-Based Questions
Teacher-directed activities to promote student document analysis skills. [more]

Understanding The Korean War
The Korean War, also known as the Forgotten War, is often overlooked in history classes. The first Hot War of the Cold War came only five years after the end of World War II and at the beginning of a decade of tremendous changes on the homefront. By understanding the world situation and the culture of the United States at the time the war began it will be easier to understand the Korean War and it's importance in history. By looking closely at the war students will see the beginnings of limited warfare and better understand the impact this has today. [more]

Alternative Assesment: Essay

Ideology (Understanding and Contrasting Cold War Ideologies)
Students will compare communism and liberalism using primary source documents. The major tenets of the two ideologies are explained within the lesson plan. [more]

Extension Activities